10.66 Present to Imperfect
Transformation

The best way to practice the imperfect past tense is to do transformations
back and forth with the present tense. Here is how you can use this chart
to practice these transformations:

Listen to the audio

Print out the page and cover up the English: are you able to translate the
Greek into English?

Now cut off the English side of the page, and look only at the Greek:

cover
up each past tense sentence and see if you can produce the present tense
version

cover up each present tense sentence and see if you can produce the
past tense version

First Person Singular

Note that the stress shifts when the long ending in the present becomes a
short ending in the imperfect.

Present

βλέπω τὰ δῶρα

I see the gifts.

Past

ἔβλεπον τὰ δῶρα

I saw the gifts.

Present

βάλλω τοὺς λίθους.

I throw the stones.

Past

ἔβαλλον τοὺς λίθους.

I threw the stones.

Present

διδάσκω τὰ τέκνα.

I teach the children.

Past

ἐδίδασκον τὰ τέκνα.

I taught the children.

Present

ἀποθνῄσκω

I am dying.

Past

ἀπέθνῃσκον

I was dying.

Present

ἀποκτείνω τοὺς κακούς.

I kill the bad people.

Past

ἀπέκτεινον τοὺς κακούς.

I killed the bad people.

Second Person Singular

Note that the stress shifts when the long ending in the present becomes a
short ending in the imperfect.

Present

θέλεις ἀναβαίνειν.

You want to go up.

Past

ἔθελες ἀναβαίνειν.

You wanted to go up.

Present

μένεις ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ.

You are waiting in the house.

Past

ἔμενες ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ.

You were waiting in the house.

Present

πιστεύεις

You believe.

Past

ἐπίστευες

You believed.

Present

βαπτίζεις τοὺς πιστούς.

You baptize the faithful.

Past

ἐβάπτιζες
τοὺς πιστούς.

You baptized the faithful.

Present

ἀναβαίνεις εἰς τὸ ἱερόν.

You are going up to the temple.

Past

ἀνέβαινες εἰς τὸ
ἱερόν.

You were going up to the temple.

Third Person Singular

Note that the stress shifts when the long ending in the present becomes a
short ending in the imperfect.

Present

λύει τὸν οἶκον.

She destroys the house.

Past

ἔλυε τὸν οἶκον.

She destroyed the house.

Present

λέγει ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς.

He is speaking to the sisters.

Past

ἔλεγε ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς.

He was speaking to the sisters.

Present

πιστεύει.

She believes.

Past

ἐπίστευεν.

She believed.

Present

ἀκούει ἐκείνης τῆς
φωνῆς.

He listens to that voice.

Past

ἤκουεν ἐκείνης τῆς
φωνῆς.

He listened to that voice.

Present

καταβαίνει εἰς τὴν
θάλασσαν.

She is going down to the sea.

Past

κατέβαινεν εἰς τὴν
θάλασσαν.

She was going down to the sea.

First Person Plural

Note that the ending is the same for both the present and the imperfect, so
there is no shift in stress.

Present

θέλομεν ἀναβαίνειν.

We want to go up.

Past

ἐθέλομεν ἀναβαίνειν

We wanted to go up.

Present

μένομεν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ.

We are waiting in the house.

Past

ἐμένομεν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ.

We were waiting in the house.

Present

βαπτίζομεν τοὺς πιστούς.

We baptize the faithful.

Past

ἐβαπτίζομεν τοὺς πιστούς.

We baptized the faithful.

Present

πιστεύομεν.

We believe.

Past

ἐπιστεύομεν.

We believed.

Present

ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς τὸ ἱερόν.

We are going up to the temple.

Past

ἀνεβαίνομεν εἰς τὸ
ἱερόν.

We were going up to the temple.

Second Person Plural

Note that the ending is the same for both the present and the imperfect, so
there is no shift in stress.

Present

βλέπετε τὰ δῶρα

You see the gifts.

Past

ἐβλέπετε τὰ δῶρα

You saw the gifts.

Present

βάλλετε τοὺς λίθους.

You throw the stones.

Past

ἐβάλλετε τοὺς λίθους.

You threw the stones.

Present

διδάσκετε τὰ τέκνα.

You teach the children.

Past

ἐδιδάσκετε τὰ τέκνα.

You taught the children.

Present

ἀποθνῄσκετε

You are dying.

Past

ἀπεθνῄσκετε

You were dying.

Present

ἀποκτείνετε τοὺς κακούς.

You kill the bad people.

Past

ἀπεκτείνετε τοὺς
κακούς.

You killed the bad people.

Third Person Plural

Note that the ending for the first person singular and the third person plural
is the same in the imperfect. Because of the change from a polysyllabic ending
in the present to a monosyllabic ending in the imperfect, there is a shift
in stress.

Present

λύουσι τὸν οἶκον.

They destroy the house.

Past

ἔλυον τὸν οἶκον.

They destroyed the house.

Present

λέγουσι ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς.

They are speaking to the sisters.

Past

ἔλεγον ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς.

They were speaking to the sisters.

Present

πιστεύουσι.

They believe.

Past

ἐπίστευον.

They believed.

Present

ἀκούουσιν ἐκείνης τῆς
φωνῆς.

They listen to that voice.

Past

ἤκουον ἐκείνης τῆς
φωνῆς.

They listened to that voice.

Present

καταβαίνουσιν
εἰς τὴν
θάλασσαν.

They are going down to the sea.

Past

κατέβαινον εἰς τὴν
θάλασσαν.

They were going down to the sea.

Biblical
Greek Online.
Laura Gibbs, Ph.D.
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Page last updated:
April 9, 2005 8:06 PM